DIVERGENT POLICIES

Evening Post, Volume XCVII, Issue 37, 14 February 1919, Page 8

DIVERGENT POLICIES

STATE AND COMMONWEALTH.

(FROM OOR OWN CORRBSPONDIMT.-

SYDNEY, Bth February. The Australian States, in these early post-war days, are faced with the gravest problems, affecting finance, industry, demobilisation, repatriation. But the Australian States are' giving scarcely a thought to these matters. To-day, nothing is thought about, discussed, or written upon except the fight against the epidemic of pneumonic influenza. The States have tackled the proposition in strangely different ways, and out of their different conception of the seriousness of the visitation has arisen a conflict between Commonwealth and State authority which may yet have far-reach-ing and sensational results. The States, in November, made an agreement as to what they should do in the event of the epidemic appearing—a very complete agreement providing for everything, and the Federal Government was a party to it, because the Federal authority was to control traffic and quarantine. The epidemic broke out in Melbourne and spread rapidly. Everyone was convinced that it was " the real dope "—except the Melbourne health experts. They insisted on arguing the point, while, the cases increased. Suddenly, there appeared in Sydney a couple of cases—soldiers —each directly traceable to Melbourne. The New South Wales Government acted immediately—theatres were closed, all sorts of public meetings forbidden, inoculation encouraged, masks made compulsory. New South Wales was declared an infected State rsome days before Victoria. The latter has acted hesitatingly, and issued orders with reluctance. Result: In Victoria there are over 200 cases daily, which are increasing in virulence, with a fixed death-rate of about 8 per cent.; in New South Wales there is a total of only 72 cases, with two deaths, and the disease is undoubtedly being held.

When Victoria declared herself infect, ed, she wanted to resume open, traffic with her infected neighbour, in tho terms of the November agreement. New South Wales curtly refused. She pointed out that Victoria had broken the agreement by not declaring herself infected, that she had thus infected New South Wales, and that 'New South Wales, which was holding the disease, had no confidence in the administration of the Victorians, who were letting it get away. Victoria continued to accuse New South Wales of dishonouring the agreement, and appealed to the Federal authorities. The Federal authorities were already piqued. They were supposed to control all land traffic and quarantine, but New South Wales, in her vigorous action to protect herself, had established her own system of quarantine, ignoring the Federal officials and taking control of all land and sea traffic. New South Wales knew very well that if the Federal authorities had charge, they would put the November agreement into operation, and New South Wales would be infected and reinfected from Victoria.

A ludicrous position arose with regard to ships entering Sydney Harbour. They were examined and passed, in the regular way, _by Federal officers, and again examined, and usually ordered into varying periods of quarantine, by State officers. The Federal Government fumed and threatened, and an ugly situation was developing until this week. The Wyandra came from Melbourne, was passed by the Federal authorities, and quarantined by the State for two days. Within those two days, pneumonic influenza developed. _ This justification of the State quarantine, together with the very firm and uncompromising attitude of the State, caused the Federal Government to greatly modify its position.

In the meantime, pneumonic influenza appeared in South Australia, and the Adelaide authorities argued stupidly over the position. Thus, a whole week was wasted before the State was declared infected. New South Wales—on the border near Broken Hill—and Western Australia refused to wait for the declaration, but took the same action against South Australia as New South Wales had taken against Victoria. The Federal Government protested to both, and both fiercely defied the Federal Government. So now the Federal Government has formally renounced the November agreement and is trying to make a working arrangement with the States for the control of quarantine and land traffic. The attitude of New South Wales, Queensland, and West Australia is cold and suspicious. Relations, though not so strained as they were last week, are still far from amicable.